


Rocky Mountain High

by JetGirl1832, tomatopudding



Series: The Hamilton Family Album [56]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Colorado, Denver, F/M, LGBTQ Jewish Character(s), M/M, Summer, Vacation, meet the parents, rocky mountains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-15 05:56:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9222011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/pseuds/JetGirl1832, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomatopudding/pseuds/tomatopudding
Summary: Angie has just graduated from college and Jamie has just graduated high school, what better time for a family vacation?





	1. Chapter 1

"So," Eliza said, her voice easily cutting through the various conversations that were bound to arise when all of the Hamilton children were in one room, "your father and I have an announcement."

"A good announcement or a bad announcement?" asked Angie, "Because if it's the latter then I don't want to hear it for at least a week. I'm still riding the high from graduation yesterday."

"Hey I just graduated too!" Jamie called out.

"Yeah, but I graduated college," Angie shot back.

"Yeah well-"

"Jamie, Angie, that's enough," Eliza spoke up.

"That's actually a good segue," Alex said, "We're very proud of both of you and your achievements. You've both worked hard this year so we wanted to do a little something special before Jamie goes off to college."

"Seriously?" Jamie asked adjusting his glasses, "what are we doing?"

"We think it's about time we had another family vacation," Eliza smiled.

"Yes!" Angie exclaimed, "where are we going?" 

"Well, your father and I figured that we should fix the fact that none of you kids have been anywhere other than the east coast," replied Eliza, "so we're going to Colorado."

 

"What's in Colorado?" AJ asked.

"Since this is a family vacation, we thought that we could plan it out together," Alex said, "We'll go to Denver for a couple days, but maybe spend the rest of our time in some mountain town."

"Not that I don't love the whole family vacation thing," said Philip, "I mean, I think the last we did that was when Grandpa George forced Pops to take us to Disney."

"That was fun," laughed Angie. 

"It was," agreed Philip with a grin, "but Theo and I were talking about planning our own vacation."

"Ask Theo to come with us," offered Alex, "We'll have to get two cars to drive from Denver to the mountains anyway."

"That's not fair," AJ blurt out, "If Theo gets to come then I should be able to bring Eli."

AJ realized instantly what he'd said, and the way his family was staring at him, and blushed bright red.

"Who is Eli?" Alex asked.

"Oh my god," Angie scoffed, "AJ are you dating someone?"

"Shut up," grumbled AJ, his blush spreading further but a pleased smile was spreading across his face.

"Come on tell me," Angie pressed, "is he cute? I bet he's cute! I want details!"

"I think we all do," Jamie snorted, "come on AJ who is special enough that you want to introduce them to that?" He pointed at Angie.

Angie stuck her tongue out, but she was definitely also curious. 

"Go on, AJ," Eliza said gently, "If you want to."

"He's a chef," AJ told them, keeping his gaze on the table, "Or at least he wants to be a chef. He operates one of the food trucks on campus and waits tables in his free time."

 

Eliza began to smile as AJ began to describe Eli noticing the more he talked the more his eyes started to light up.

"And we've been together for a few months now..." AJ finished.

 

"We would love for him to join us," Eliza said when AJ fell silent. 

"I'll talk to Eli," replied AJ with a small nod, "Definitely.”

\----------

They were still waiting for Eli to arrive in Denver. Alex and Philip had already collected all the suitcases and were taking care of the rental cars while everyone else waited in the arrivals area. AJ was checking his cell phone every few minutes for a text. Eli's plane had been delayed and as time went on AJ grew more and more twitchy until he was practically bouncing. It was so reminiscent of both Alex and Angie that Eliza couldn't help but smile.

"Where is he?" AJ groaned checking his phone again.

"He'll be here soon enough," Eliza gently squeezed his shoulder, "have patience."

AJ sighed and leaned against his mother.

"Hey there Hamiltons!" a voice called out and they all turned to see someone striding towards the carousel.

"Eli!" AJ grinned before running towards his boyfriend.

He slowed down slightly when they met in the middle, looking slightly embarrassed. Eli grinned and swooped in to kiss AJ's cheek, causing a blush to bloom across the bridge of AJ's nose. 

"Hi," AJ said, unable to stop smiling. 

Eli reached for AJ's hand, "I think this would be a good time for you to introduce me to everyone." 

"Right," AJ's blush deepened.

They walked over to where everyone was waiting. 

"My dad and older brother Philip are getting our rental cars," AJ explained, "This is my mom, my older sister Angie, my younger brothers Jamie, Jack, and William, and my younger sister Lizzie." 

He pointed out each person as he said their names. 

"And I'm Theodosia, but you can call me Theo," Theo introduced, stepping forward to shake Eli's hand, "Burr not Hamilton. I'm Philip's girlfriend."

"Glad to meet you," Eli smiled, "and I don't know how much AJ has told you, but I'm Eli Blumenthal."

"It's nice to meet you Eli," Eliza smiled.

"Yeah real nice," Angie muttered, it was obvious that she was taking her time surveying Eli. Just because she'd been curious about meeting the guy her younger brother was dating didn't mean she had to like him right away, but she'd give Eli a chance.

\----------

They had settled into their connecting rooms and Maggie had been happily released from her kennel and was dashing back and forth taking in her new surroundings.

Angie was sulking a little bit because she had been relegated to the pull out couch because, as AJ had exclaimed when they first entered the room "Spinster gets the couch!"

"I'm not a spinster," she muttered as she dropped her bag onto the couch, her annoyance only slightly quelled by Maggie hopping up beside her and sitting in her lap.

As they were starting to talk about what to do next, AJ's face was starting to look pale and he seemed to be swallowing something down every few minutes, his brow furrowed. 

"What's wrong," Jack asked, poking AJ in the shoulder.

"I don't know," AJ moaned, "I just feel like crap."

Eliza immediately sprang into action placing her hand on his forehead, "You don't seem to have a fever... It's probably just altitude sickness."

"Great," AJ muttered falling back onto the bed.

"You just need to get some rest," Eliza said, bringing over a water bottle, "Tylenol and a nap will do you good."

"Come on everyone," added Alex, "Let's go take a walk around the city and let AJ sleep."

"I'll stay," Eli said, sitting on the edge of the bed and running his fingers through AJ's hair tenderly.

Angie let out a small "Aww," her face flushing when her siblings turned to look at her.

Alex clipped Maggie onto her leash as they left their suite for a walk around downtown.

As the door closed AJ curled up on the bed pulling one of the pillows close to his stomach. Eli coaxed AJ to take a couple Tylenol before allowing him to lie back down and continuing to run his fingers through AJ's hair. 

"This sucks," AJ mumbled. 

"I'm sorry, motek," murmured Eli.

AJ's head hurt and he felt like he was going to vomit this was most definitely not how he envisioned this trip going. The term of endearment also made his heart pound just that much faster and the sound of it was loud in his ears.

He hardly felt like sleeping now, AJ felt more than he saw as Eli took a space on the other side of the bed and leaned back against the pillows sighing.

"You know this is the first time we've done this," Eli muttered.

AJ let out a questioning hum, shifting to that he was facing Eli. 

"Sharing a bed," Eli elaborated. 

Despite himself, AJ blushed. Although they had been together for months, their relationship had remained chaste.

"Oh..." AJ muttered, "I guess so."

"Are you blushing?" Eli teased.

"No!" AJ replied sharply.

Eli chuckled, sliding down the bed so that they could be face to face, "It's okay if you are. I think it's cute."

Strangely, AJ was starting to feel better. Although he was a bit hotter under the collar than he had been.

"I love you," Eli murmured cupping AJ's chin, "I mean it."

And that right there was why AJ had consented to introduce Eli to his family. He'd had boyfriends and flings before but none of them had ever said they loved him and meant it the way Eli did.

"I know," AJ smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Happy Birthday Alexander.

By the time the rest of the family returned from their walk, AJ's altitude sickness was completely gone and he was sitting on the couch with Eli's arm around his shoulders.

 

"Hey all," Eli greeted as they entered.

 

"Nice walk?" AJ asked. 

  
  
"Yeah," replied Angie, "Did you have a nice 'nap'?" She smirked.

 

"Yes we did," AJ shot back, rolling his eyes when Angie waggled her eyebrows suggestively. 

  
  
"Okay, Angie, that's enough," said Eliza.

 

Angie pouted but stopped her teasing.

  
  
"Since you are feeling better you ready to join us?" Eliza asked.

 

"Yes," confirmed AJ, "I'm getting a bit hungry."

  
  
"Not quite dinner time yet," Eliza told him, "Remember that it's two hours earlier here than back home."

 

AJ slowly rose to his feet, "Where are we going to go anyway?"

  
  
"Jamie picked it," Eliza replied.

  
  
"Great..." AJ muttered.

  
  
"It's the oldest restaurant in Denver!" Jamie exclaimed ignoring his older brother.

 

"The Buckhorn Exchange," Eli said promptly, smiling when Jamie looked at him with wide eyes, "Wannabe chef, remember? I know my restaurants."

  
  
AJ shook his head fondly at his younger brother's excitement. Jamie was definitely the foodie of the family.

 

"So what kind of stuff do they serve?" AJ asked pulling on his shoes and taking the water bottle Eli handed him.

  
  
"The typical stuff," Jamie smiled, "it's a steakhouse so steak of course, and venison, elk, rattlesnake, alligator-"

  
  
"Rattlesnake!?" Angie exclaimed.

 

"I suppose it's a good thing none of us are vegetarians," Theo said dryly. 

  
  
"In any case," interrupted Alex, "we still have some time before our dinner reservation so we figured that we'd go down to a mall nearby for a little bit first."

  
  
"Okay," AJ shrugged.

  
  
Maggie give an excited yip and Alex sighed, "Sorry Mags you can't come with us this time," he scooped up the small dog whose ears began to droop when she realized she was about to be placed in her kennel again.   
  


 

They walked down to the Sixteenth Street mall which was quite busy when they arrived.

  
  
"Let's go there!" Angie pointed at a store on the other side of the street, the sign proclaimed that it was the Wild West Souvenir Emporium.

 

"Oh come on, Angie," huffed AJ, "that's a total tourist trap."

  
  
"Exactly," Angie laughed, "I love kitschy souvenirs."

 

"Of course you do..." AJ rolled his eyes.

  
  
"You do realize she wears an "I Love New York" shirt with pride?" Philip laughed as he followed Angie inside.

 

The store was filled with t-shirts of various styles featuring mountains, wolves, and other nature scenes both realistic and cartoon. Every shirt said "Colorado" or "Denver" somewhere on it and some even had puns about being a mile high.

 

"Hey Eliza look at these!" Alex wandered over to a rack of signs, "I like this one, 'Man Cave- No wife, no kids-'"

  
  
"And you can buy that if you want to sleep on the couch," Eliza replied as she casually examined some earrings.

 

Alex hastily put down the sign, not wanting to risk seeing if Eliza was bluffing or not.

 

Theo, meanwhile, had found a rack of small wooden dream boxes, each of which had a name carved on it. 

  
  
"I doubt that I'd find my name," she joked, picking up the one that said Philip, "Hey look, they have name meanings on the bottom."

 

"Ooo, I wanna see!" gasped Angie, coming over. As she started searching the racks for everyone's names, Theo read out the meaning of Philip's name.

 

"It says it comes from Greek meaning "lover of horses"," Theo read, "and that you are independent and determined."

  
  
"Just like any Hamilton," Angie grinned.

 

"My turn! Me!" Lizzie insisted, pulling on Theo's hand. 

  
  
Angie handed over the correct box and Theo crouched down to Lizzie's level so that the girl could follow along as she read. 

  
  
"Elizabeth, from the Hebrew for 'connected to god.' You are gentle and affectionate."

  
  
"Same as mama," said Lizzie happily.

 

"Yup," Theo laughed and gave Lizzie an affectionate squeeze.

  
  
Jack had joined them and pawed through the display, "Here we go, John... From the Hebrew "god's grace".... Responsible and stable!" he grinned.

 

"There's nothing in there about bad jokes," teased Philip, "so I guess you can stop with those."

  
  
"My jokes are awesome!" Jack insisted. 

  
  
"Right," Angie rolled her eyes, "especially that one about the chicken-"

  
  
"A classic!" Jack proclaimed.   
  


"Sure it is," Angie scoffed.   
  


"You just don't know humor," sniffed Jack, pretending to be affronted, "Hey, what about AJ's?"

  
  
"Well, there isn't one that says Junior," Angie said. 

  
  
"Don't even start," warned AJ. 

  
  
"But," continued Angie, talking over him, "I found Alex. Greek for 'protector of mankind,' you are charismatic with a magnetic personality."

  
  
"That's more dad than me," said AJ. 

  
  
"I dunno, you're pretty magnetic to me," Eli laughed, pressing up behind AJ and resting his chin on his shoulder, wrapping his arms around AJ's waist.

 

"Bleh," Angie commented, "you're so cute you make me sick."

  
  
AJ casually flipped his older sister off.

  
  
Angie shook her head and turned back to rack, "Anyone find my name?"

 

"This is the closest I could find," said Jack, handing his older sister the box carved with Angel.

 

"Messenger..." Angie muttered, "but I'm fun loving and social!"

  
  
"That got you to a T!" Theo grinned.

 

Angie beamed and placed the box back on the rack.

 

"Was that everybody?" she asked. 

  
  
"You forgot me," pouted Jamie.

 

"Right..." Angie spun the rack, "well we've got James and Jamie."

 

"Both," Jamie requested with a grin. 

  
  
"Both of them say that they're from the French for 'to protect,' but they have different qualifiers," Theo told him, "James is powerful and understanding while Jamie is balanced and fair minded."

 

Jamie seemed to be very pleased with the results.

  
  
"They have anything for you Theo?" Angie asked.

  
  
"Nope," Theo shook her head, "Theodosia is not a common name, it's the curse of a 'unique' name like that, you'll never find it printed on anything."

 

"I know that feeling," laughed Eli, "especially since my full name is Eliyahu. You don't find that anywhere."

 

"Welcome to the club," Theo held out her hand to Eli with a smile.

 

"Thanks," Eli laughed.

 

Eli and Theo looked at each other for a moment and Theo let out an exasperated sigh, "Oh I guess..."

  
  
"Do I have to be in the club too?" asked William, "Am I there?"

  
  
"I can't believe you forgot William," AJ murmured, his eyes shining with humor.

 

"You forgot me?" The nine year old frowned.

  
  
"Of course not," Angie spun the rack spun the rack looking for his name, "here you are!"

 

William took the box from Angie and turned it over, "It says it means valiant protector... what's that?" he turned to Philip.

  
  
"It means that you're very brave and strong," Philip told him, "and that you can protect the people you love."

  
  
William nodded gravely, "I can do that. I promise."

  
  
"I know, buddy," chuckled Philip, ruffling his brother's hair.    
  


They were about to move onto the next shop when the Hamiltons overhead their parents chatting.

  
  
"Betsey what about this one?" Alex held up a sign.   
  


 

Carved into it was: I laughed so hard, tears ran down my leg. Eliza simply raised an eyebrow, an amused smile playing on her lips. Alex grinned. 

  
  
"I figured," he said, putting the sign back on the rack.   
  


 

"Good choice," Eliza replied.

 

\----------

 

"So this is like the subway but not," Philip commented as they approached the train station. 

  
  
"Well this isn't New York," Theo laughed.

  
"It is possible for trains to be above ground, you know," added Angie.    
  


"I know that," Philip rolled his eyes, "it just seems inconvenient." He stuck his ticket in his pocket, "so what train are we waiting for?" he asked his father who was examining the rather small map.

  
  
"It seems that any of the trains from this station will get us there," Alex replied.   
  


"Great," Philip nodded, "here's one now."

  
  
All eleven of them piled onto the rather crowded train, at least their destination wasn't too far away.

  
  
"Angie can you take Lizzie's hand?" Eliza called out.

  
  
Angie reached for her little sister as the train car jerked suddenly.

  
  
"You okay Liz?" Angie asked.

  
  
The seven year old simply nodded her head in response and moved to stand closer to her sister.

 

"Next stop is 10th and Osage," the overhead voice called out as they pulled away from another stop.

  
  
"That's our stop," Alex called out.

 

The restaurant was fairly busy, so despite their reservation it took several minutes before they could be seated and three tables had to be pushed together to have enough chairs. Jamie managed to snag a seat next to Eli and was chattering excitedly to him about all the things he wanted to try.

 

"I want to try Rocky Mountain Oysters!" Jamie declared.

  
  
"Oysters?" Angie wrinkled her nose.

  
  
"They aren't real oysters," Jamie smirked.

  
  
"They aren't?" Angie asked, "what are they?" she glanced down at the menu and her face went pale, "You are disgusting."

 

"I prefer adventurous," Jamie told her primly, "Will you try them with me Eli?"

  
  
Eli chuckled, "Sure."

  
  
"Don't encourage him," sighed AJ from where he was seated on Eli's other side.

 

"I'm down if he wants to expand his palate," Eli grinned, "there is nothing wrong with that."

  
  
"Well, you are only getting a half order," Eliza spoke up.

  
  
"Mom..."

 

"No arguing," said Eliza. 

  
  
"Dad?" tried Jamie. 

  
  
"Listen to your mother, Jamie."

 

"Fine..." Jamie frowned.

  
  
"Believe it or not you may not like them," Eliza added.

 

Jamie pouted but did as his mother directed, which was a good thing. Although he did like the Rocky Mountain oysters, there was so much food in the main course, especially since everyone was sharing everything.

 

There was a lot of laughter and chatter especially when Angie shrieked whilst colliding with a stuffed Jackalope on her way back from the bathroom.

  
  
"It's dead!" Philip laughed at his younger sister's expense.

  
  
"I know that," Angie blushed sitting beside him.

 

"Then why did you scream?" Philip teased.

  
  
"I didn't scream," Angie replied sharply, "I was just surprised."

  
  
"Uh huh."

  
  
Angie rolled her eyes as she placed her napkin on her lap and proceeded to steal a large portion of Philip's potatoes.

  
  
"Hey!"

 

"Serves you right," Angie said with a grin. 

  
  
Philip retaliated by taking Angie's iced tea.

 

"You two are doing a great job a setting an example for your younger siblings," Theo rolled her eyes.

 

Angie shrugged, "They've turned out fine so far. Well, mostly anyway."

  
  
"Are you talking about me?" AJ said, kicking her foot lightly under the table. 

  
  
"Who else?" laughed Angie, kicking him back.

 

"I'm really feeling the love sis," AJ smirked.

  
  
"You know it," Angie grinned.

 

Eli was looking between the two siblings, amusement shining in his eyes. 

  
  
"Don't mind them," Philip told him, "Snarking is how they show affection."

 

"Strange, but okay," Eli laughed.

  
  
By the time they had all finished eating, it was obvious that Lizzie was starting to get tired and he look in her eyes said that a temper tantrum might be imminent, so they decided to skip dessert and make their way back to the hotel. 

  
  
Sitting in Angie's lap Lizzie's eyes began to close so when they got to their stop Angie lifted up her little sister and carried her to the hotel.

 

\----------

  
The next morning, in true Alexander Hamilton fashion, Alex roused the clan way too early for a vacation. Eliza managed to make him wait another hour or so before they actually all got up for breakfast.

 

"It's vacation," Jamie muttered, "I shouldn't have to get up earlier than I did for school..." he adjusted his glasses.

 

"Hear, hear," Angie mumbled, her eyes still mostly closed and leaning against Theo for support, "How are you so awake, dad?"

  
  
"Vending machine coffee," Alex said, "And I got one for you too. To tide you over until we get down to the continental breakfast."

  
  
Angie moved her leaning from Theo to Alex, happily sipping at what was probably disgusting coffee.

 

"You know me too well," Angie muttered.

  
  
"I will take the blame for making you a caffeine addict," Alex laughed.

  
  
After breakfast, they all piled into the two cars again and made their way to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.    
  


William and Lizzie raced towards the T. Rex skeleton while Eliza went to purchase their tickets. 

  
  
"Why are we at a museum?" Jack grumbled.

 

"Because museums are fun," AJ said. 

  
  
"Museums are educational," retorted Jack, "This is vacation not school."

  
  
"You love school," laughed Angie, ruffling Jack's hair.

 

"Do not," Jack replied batting Angie's hands away from him.

 

"Of course you do," said Angie, "You're a Hamilton."   
  


 

"That doesn't mean anything," Jack rolled his eyes.

  
  
"And that's where you're wrong little bro," Philip grinned, "it means everything."

  
  
Eliza then returned and passed everyone their tickets, "We need to decide who is going where, I know not everyone is going to want to see the same exhibits so let's get this sorted out now-"

  
  
There was an eruption of noise as everyone declared what they want to see first.

  
  
"One at a time!" Eliza interrupted firmly, "starting with... Philip, where do you want to go?"

 

"I'm good with anything," Philip said magnanimously, "Whatever the kids want to do."   
  
"How gallant," said Angie, rolling her eyes with a small grin.

 

Lizzie and William dashed towards their oldest brother, "Expedition Health!" Lizzie proclaimed.   
  
"And dinosaurs!" said William, making his arms short like a t-rex and letting out a roar.   
  
Philip chuckled, "That’s good."   
  
"Angie come too!" Lizzie looked to her sister.   
  
"Oh okay," Angie sighed but she was actually grinning brightly.   
  
"Alright," Eliza nodded, "who's next?"

 

"I want to see dinosaurs too," said Jamie.    
  
"Why don't we do that first?" Eli offered, taking AJ's hand, "While the little ones go to the Expedition Health."

 

"Great I'm third wheeling," Jamie sighed.   
  
"So that leaves Jack," Eliza turned to her son, "what do you want to do?"

 

Jack just shrugged.    
  
"Here," Eliza said, handing him the folded map, "You've got me and your father all to yourself. Choose anything you'd like to see."

 

Jack scanned the map, "There," he pointed at a spot on the second floor, "the mummies."

 

"Alright," Eliza smiled, "let's meet back here at one for lunch?"

 

They all split and went their various directions, Theo, Philip and Angie accompanied by William and Lizzie made their way up the escalator to the second floor.

 

They turned to head towards their first stop, Expedition Health.

  
  
"Theo I think you'll have to take the lead on this one," Philip smiled knowing his youngest questions would be brimming with questions about everything that they saw.

  
  
"Gladly," Theo replied.

  
  
The five of them entered the exhibit and started looking around, while in there it didn't take long for Angie's competitive streak to begin to show.

 

There were several anatomy-based interactive games, including one where you had to be a white blood cell attacking a sickness. Angie and Philip had quickly gotten into a heated high score competition.

 

Theo simply laughed and sighed answering Lizzie and William's questions as they explored. She then returned to her best friend and boyfriend about ten minutes later.

  
  
"You two are still at it?" Theo raised her brow.

 

"I'm winning," Angie said happily. 

  
  
"For now," grumbled Philip, pressing the start button again. 

  
  
Theo left them to it, allowing Lizzie to pull her away to one of the health activities: measuring her height.

 

"Let's see," Theo had Lizzie line up against the wall.

  
  
"I bet one day I'll be taller than Angie!" Lizzie declared.

  
  
"That doesn't take much," Theo chuckled.

  
  
"I heard that!" Angie hollered.

  
  
"And I'm winning!" Philip whooped.

 

\----------

 

Jamie led the way through the dioramas showing the earlier stages of life on earth, barely glancing at them in his rush to get to the dinosaurs. AJ and Eli followed at a slightly slower pace, holding hands.

 

Jamie couldn't help but roll his eyes as he paused in front of what was called the Cretaceous Creekbed. After looking at the dinosaurs for a bit his eyes began to wander to the background painted on the wall.

 

His gaze rested on one of the dinosaurs in the background, "What the..." he muttered and squinted.

  
  
Jamie shook his head and quickly wiped down his glasses on his shirt to make sure he really and truly wasn't seeing things. But there is was on the back of the dinosaur waving at him... A tiny elf.

 

"AJ," he said, tugging on his brother's sleeve, "stop making googoo eyes as your boyfriend and look at this."

  
  
"I'm not making googoo eyes," said AJ, but he did look away from Eli to follow Jamie's pointing finger, "What?"

 

"There!" Jamie pointed at the background, "There is an elf."   
  


"No there isn't," AJ furrowed his brow.

  
  
"Yes there is," Jamie nodded.

 

"You are losing it," AJ rolled his eyes and began to walk away.

  
  
"No I'm not!" Jamie grabbed his older brother's shoulder, "Look!" he pointed directly at the elf.

 

"What ever Jamie-" AJ followed where his brother was pointing and stiffened, "What the fuck?"

  
  
"Told you so," Jamie folded his arms across his chest.

 

"I see you've found one of our elves," said one of the museum volunteers, stepping up to them with a smile. 

  
  
"One of?" Jamie questioned.

 

"Yes," the volunteer nodded, "the story goes that the artist who painted these in the 1930's hid tiny elves in several of the diorama backgrounds since he wasn't allowed to put his signature."

  
  
AJ blinked, "So there are more if these elves in the museum?"

  
  
The volunteer nodded.

  
  
"Oh no," Eli sighed.

 

"We have a list of them and their general locations, if you'd like to try and find them," continued the volunteer. 

  
  
"We would," said AJ. 

  
  
"Really?" Eli said, raising an eyebrow. 

  
  
"Come on, it'll be fun," AJ pouted, "Please? I'll race you to see who can find them all first."

  
  
"How exactly would we measure that?" Eli asked, not even realizing that he was essentially agreeing to this ridiculous task. 

  
  
"Easy," answered AJ, flapping a hand, "Take a picture of each elf on your phone. The pictures have time stamps anyway. Whoever has the earliest time stamps obviously found the elves first."

  
  
The volunteer looked absolutely mesmerized by the conversation and quickly pulled out two sheets of paper with a checklist of eight different places in the museum, handing one to each of them. 

  
  
"Ready?" AJ asked with a grin. 

  
  
"I suppose so."

  
  
"Go!"

  
  
AJ snapped a picture of the elf Jamie had already found and then grabbed his brother's elbow. 

  
  
"Meet you for lunch with the rest of the family," he called. 

  
  
"Hey, why do you get Jamie?" Eli asked. 

  
  
"Sibling privilege," laughed AJ before pulling Jamie away.

 

\----------

 

Not too far away across the hall Jack was still being rather sullen about being in a museum on vacation.

 

"Come on Jacky," Eliza wrapped her arms around her son, "you love all the museums at home."

 

Jack grumbled a little, but leaned into his mother's embrace. 

  
  
"I know you love ancient Egypt," prompted Eliza.

 

A small smile appeared on Jack's face.

  
  
"And I know next to nothing about it," Alex proclaimed as they entered the exhibit, "so I'm relying on you to teach me everything," he proceeded to walk towards the canopic jars. "Ancient honey jars?"

  
  
"Dad," Jack sighed.

 

Alex gave him a wide-eyed look of innocence that wouldn't fool anybody.    
  


"Ancient honey jars?" Jack scoffed.

  
  
"What?"

  
  
"Those are canopic jars, they would put organs in them," Jack replied, "it was part of the mummification process."

 

"Okay so I didn't know," Alex shrugged.

  
  
"Honey jars," Jack muttered.

  
  
"Jack anything else you'd like to show us?" Eliza prompted.

 

"Well," Jack said, "they used to take the brains out through the nose using a special tool. They didn't consider it important enough to keep in one piece."   
  


Alex winced as his son described the process, "How delightful."

  
  
"Look they even mummified their pets," Jack walked towards the case where there was a mummified cat.

 

Jack's mood quickly lightened when he was talking about something he enjoyed. He kept chattering, explaining everything in the exhibit to his parents and continued to do so as they three of them waited for the IMAX movie about Tutankhamen to start. 

  
  
As planned they all met down by the museum cafeteria for lunch, Theo, Philip, Angie, William and Lizzie were the first to arrive. They were soon followed by Alex, Eliza and Jack.

  
  
"Eli, Jamie and AJ are still MIA," Angie sighed as their parents approached.

 

"I'm sure they'll show up," Eliza said, "Why don't you find a table and I'll wait for them."

  
  
Not ten minutes later, the three of them showed up. Eli and AJ were comparing something on their phones. 

  
  
"Ah ha!" Eli cheered as they arrived, "I win!"

  
  
"What?" AJ seemed to be in shock, "How!"

  
  
They went back to comparing their phones. 

  
  
"What's going on here?" Eliza asked. 

  
  
"There are elves hidden in some of murals in the museum," Jamie explained, "They competed to see who could find all the elves first. I have a feeling that Eli won."

  
  
"I had Jamie's special elf spotting eyes," pouted AJ, "How could this happen?"

  
  
"I guess I'm just that good," chuckled Eli, "As the winner, do I get to claim a prize?"

  
  
"I suppose," AJ grumped. 

  
  
Eli pulled AJ close and pressed a kiss to his lips. AJ blushed. 

  
  
"Best prize ever," said Eli, grinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll leave you guessing on whether or not the elves are real.


	3. Chapter 3

The Hamiltons finished up their time in Denver by going to the Botanic Gardens before packing up and heading out bright and early the next morning.

Alex was driving one car with Eliza, Jamie, Jack, William, and Lizzie, the younger children still asleep in their booster seats. Philip drove the other car with Theo, Angie, AJ, and Eli. Angie was still bleary eyed and held a giant cup of coffee she'd made Philip stop for when they'd first set out.

"I swear you're addicted to that stuff," Philip chuckled.

"Shut up and let me sleep," Angie muttered.

With all the extra sleeping going on, the first hour or so of the drive was quiet for both cars, but soon enough people started waking up and the noise level rose. Lizzie was at a point where she would only listen to a particular CD while in the car, so Eliza put on the music at a low volume. In the other car, meanwhile, Angie was leaned forward to reach between Philip and Theo in the front seats to play with the radio knob.

"What are you trying to find?" Theo asked.

"Something better than what we're listening to," Angie replied continuing to fiddle with the knobs.

"Right," AJ laughed, "something to please your delicate musicians ears."

Once she found a station Angie leaned back and shot her younger brother a dirty look.

"Good music is the foundation of any road trip," she said. 

"Hardly a road trip," AJ said, "it's only two hours."

"Two and a half," countered Angie. 

"Ooo a whole half hour longer."

"That half an hour makes all the difference," Angie replied.

"Yeah well-"

"Will you two please knock it off?" Philip called out.

"Never," Angie and AJ chorused in unison.

"Of course not," Philip sighed as he turned his attention to the road.

 

\----------

It was a little after 9:30 when they pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and everyone piled out of the cars.

Angie's nose crinkled as soon as she took a breath, "What is that smell?"

"Sulfur," Jamie replied in a matter of fact tone, "Glenwood is a Sulfur Spring, but don't worry you'll get used to the smell, just like we did with your softball socks."

"And you're a smart ass," Angie said in the same tone. 

"Language," warned Eliza mildly, "There are young ears present."

"Sorry Mama," Angie blushed.

"Come on let's get checked in," Eliza ushered them all into the lobby.

Their father had gone straight to the front desk and was just getting the keys as they all went inside.

"Alright our rooms are not connected this time but they each hold six-" Alex was beginning to explain but he didn't get very far because Angie grabbed one of the keys before anyone else could.

"No more couch for me!" Angie called to her brothers as she grabbed her bag and headed towards the stairs.

"Oh no," AJ shook his head, "no way in hell-"

The rest of them quickly followed but no one was a match for Angie's speed. By the time the reached the door all four of them were panting when Philip swiped the key card. Pushing the door open Angie was nowhere in sight, but the door leading to the master bedroom was slightly ajar. 

AJ and Philip rushed forward to see their sister sprawled on the bed looking very pleased with herself as she laughed.

"Ha!" Angie grinned, "I win."

"Hey!" AJ protested, "How is that fair, miss Happily Single?"

"That's why it's fair," said Angie smugly, "Third wheel in the bedroom with one of my brothers? I don't think so. Also, gross."

"But-"

"Besides, I'm sure Dad and Mama will be thrilled that neither of you gets the luxury of this privacy," Angie smirked.

"Oh, come on," sighed Philip as simultaneously AJ said, "We don't-" before cutting himself off. 

"You don't what?" Angie asked. When AJ didn't reply, she sat up with interest, "Oh my god, AJ. Don't tell me..."

"It's not a big deal," grumbled AJ, looking away.

"Sure it isn't," Angie scoffed.

"We don't talk about what you do... Or don't do..." AJ began to blush.

"Ew..." Angie shuddered, "of course not."

"So just drop it," AJ added.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Philip said. 

"I'm not embarrassed," hissed AJ, "So just stop."

Philip raised his hands in mock surrender just as Eli and Theo appeared in the master bedroom doorway. 

"Uh oh, what did Philip do now?" joked Theo. 

"The smart thing," Angie said primly, "He gave up. I have claimed this master suite as my own and there's nothing you mushy couples can do about it."

"Well no sense arguing with you," Theo laughed, "we all know how that goes."

"Exactly," Angie grinned, "I got this room fair and square." 

"Whatever," AJ grumbled.

"Well we should probably just drop our things and go back downstairs, your parents are going to be waiting for us," Eli spoke up.

The other bedroom had two queen-sized beds and its own bathroom. Philip and Theo went to the bed furthest from the door and immediately began murmuring to each other in low voices. Eli seemed to notice some residual discomfort on AJ's face because he took his hands and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. 

"What's wrong?" Eli asked. 

"Nothing," mumbled AJ. 

"I don't believe that for a second," said Eli. 

AJ glanced over at Philip and Theo, "Later?"

"Okay," agreed Eli, "but we're gonna talk about it."

The five of them returned to the lobby where the rest of the family was waiting for them.

"So what's on the itinerary?" Philip asked.

"Well your father and I were thinking we could explore downtown and get something to eat," Eliza replied.

"Swim!" Lizzie interjected.

"Yes sweetheart," Alex lifted up his youngest, "then we can go swimming."

Glenwood Springs was not a particularly large town. The mountain air was crisp and clean, which gave the town a certain kind of energy and atmosphere.

The sky was a brilliant shade of blue and everywhere the turned they were surrounded by mountains.

"The sun is so bright," William said, pulling down on the bill of his baseball cap so that it shaded his eyes better. 

"Well, we are closer to it," said Angie, sliding on her sunglasses.

"I hope you remembered sunscreen," Philip teased.

Angie elbowed her older brother.

"Hey I'm just saying you don't want a repeat of last time," Philip laughed.

"I brought extra," Eli piped up, "for I am a pale, pale child and burn far too easily."

"Finally someone who gets it!" said Angie, "Everybody in the family can tan except for me."

"Got your genes from the wrong end of the gene pool," Jamie smirked.

Angie rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

"That's alright Mon Ange," Alex slowed his steps to be in line with his eldest daughter, "you don't need a tan to be beautiful," he draped his arm over her shoulder.

"Dad," Angie complained, but it was halfhearted at best.

Alex leaned in to kiss her cheek, "Just like your mother," he added.

"Dad," Angie said again, but there was definitely fondness in her tone and she leaned her head against his for a brief moment.

They wandered around the town for a few more hours before stopping at a pizzeria for lunch. Their group alone filled nearly the entirety of the small restaurant. After eating, they meandered their way back to the hotel, stopping briefly for Theo to purchase a wind chime that caught her eye, and changed into swimsuits to go to the hotel's enormous pool.

This was the famed hot spring, advertised as the largest in the world, after selecting some lounge chairs to place their stuff they all scattered.

Alex took William and Lizzie to the kiddie pool while Jamie and Jack rushed off to the water slides. Philip and Eli slipped into the pool to do some laps while the remaining women lay out to sunbathe. Well, Theo was sunbathing. Angie slathered herself with sunscreen and opened one of the umbrellas to shade both her and her mother as they read their books. AJ was sitting on the edge of the pool with his legs dangling in the water, slightly mesmerized with watching Eli cut through the water with even strokes.

AJ had no idea how long he sat there, not even caring if anybody saw him but he practically jumped out of his skin when Philip swam up to the edge.

"You enjoying the view?" Philip teased.

AJ cleared his throat and tore his gaze away--which was really difficult because Eli was climbing out of the pool now and the water droplets were...but he was getting distracted--to look at his older brother. 

"It's alright," Philip said with a good-natured laugh, "you're entitled."

AJ blushed.

"Well I think it's safe to say Eli has been accepted into the family," Philip pulled himself out of the pool and sat next his brother.

"Yeah," AJ said, "I'm glad. I...I really like him."

"I can tell," chuckled Philip.

AJ did his best to to hide his blush but failed.

"Now for something completely different," Philip spoke up, "I was thinking that you and I could plan a sneak attack on Angie."

AJ blinked in confusion, "Did I just hear you right?" he asked, "You, Philip Hamilton want to pull a sneak attack on Angie? Has hell frozen over?"

Philip nudged AJ's shoulder with his own, "Hush, you. I can have fun too."

"I don't doubt that," replied AJ, "but at Angie's expense?"

Philip shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"You do realize that she will hate you right?" AJ scoffed, "I mean seriously... I can't believe you want to do something to Angie-"

"Are you in or out?" Philip cut him off.

"Of course I'm in," said AJ, "What's the plan?"

Philip explained and AJ approved, but before they could implement it, Eliza came by to tell them to start getting ready to go. 

"Tomorrow," said Philip. 

"Tomorrow," agreed AJ.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day after breakfast (Angie making good use of the waffle iron) they headed out to the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.

Jack decided that they had to do a cave tour, so they set out on the guided tour of Historic Fairy Cave--Lizzie's choice, she wanted to see the fairies and nothing anyone said would convince her that there weren't any hiding in the stalactites and stalagmites.

Once they were done with the cave Philip grabbed Angie's hand insisting that they go on a ride dubbed the Canyon Flyer.

"Let me guess not a fan of roller coasters?" Eli asked Theo.

"No way," Theo laughed, "But how do you feel about rock climbing walls?"

Eli's eyes lit up, "Now you're speaking my language."

"AJ, I'm stealing your boyfriend," announced Theo."

"Can I come climb?" Jack asked excitedly. 

"Sure thing, Jumping Jack," said Theo. 

The three of them headed off to the giant climbing wall, Theo and Eli in deep conversation, their elbows hooked together. 

"AJ," William said, tugging on the hem of her brother's shirt, "Will you take me on the alpine slide? 'M'not tall enough to go alone."

"Me too!" exclaimed Lizzie. 

"You with me, J?" AJ asked. 

"Sure," agreed Jamie, "Have a nice time without us, mom and dad."

This left Alex and Eliza indeed alone, one of the only times they'd ever been truly alone since Philip was born.

"So what do you think we should do?" Alex asked with a grin.

"How about that cliffside roller coaster," suggested Eliza, "You can hold my hand if you get scared."

"I won't get scared!" Alex replied sharply.

"That's alright, it was only an excuse to hold your hand," Eliza teased, doing just that.

Alex beamed and leaned in close, "I love you."

"I know," Eliza smiled as she kissed his cheek.

After they'd grabbed a slightly overpriced lunch at the park's cafe, Alex surprised his children with the fact that he had booked their group a time slot for laser tag.

"Boys versus girls!"Jack declared.

"That is not fair at all," Angie replied, "There are four of us seven of you."

"So?" Jack raised his brow, "your point?"

"You know what, you're right," Angie drawled, "We'll still beat you."

"You wish," smirked Jack, sticking out his tongue. 

Angie laughed and ruffled his hair despite his protests.

With that they all went to get their guns and we're ready to go.

Lizzie was sticking close to Angie's side, copying her sister's movements as much as she could. The boys, meanwhile, had taken up a divide and conquer mentality and were spread out around the entire arena. Well, most of them anyway. Angie was good enough to politely ignore the fact that Eli and AJ were making out in a shadowy corner.

Theo cheered with delight when she hit Philip who looked at her with shock.

"Seriously?" Philip called out when his gun powered down for a moment showing he'd been shot by "T. Burr".

"Four years of archery finally put to use!" Theo replied.

She disappeared into the fake fog again as Philip grumbled and waited for his gun to power up again. As soon as it did, though, it shut down again almost immediately, this time showing Angie's name. 

"Oh, come on!" he complained.

Angie giggled, "Sorry, not sorry!"

"Sorry, not sorry!" echoed Lizzie, skipping after Angie.

"Bad luck, bro," Jamie laughed, "You're being even less helpful than AJ and Eli, at they aren't giving the other team points."

"Yeah, yeah," Philip muttered, "like you're so good at this."

"Actually I haven't been hit yet," Jamie grinned.

Just as he said that Jamie's gun went down and his eyes went wide, "What the... Mom?"

"Nobody is safe!" Eliza said triumphantly, "Laser tag doesn't care about familial ties."

 

"But..." Jamie sputtered in shock.

The guys were quickly falling apart, Alex had sought out a place where had a good view of those going past and was hoping he could help regain their initial lead.

It was difficult, though. The thought of shooting either of his girls, even as part of a game, was unappealing. Maybe he could get Eliza. Maybe.

Alex sighed as he worked on making his next move when he saw Eliza go past, maybe this wouldn't be as difficult as he thought.

Alex took a step forward, and another, somewhere else in the distance he heard Lizzie and Angie scream excitedly. Alex took a breath and decided to make a run for it, because he was certain he knew where Eliza was.

Just as he had found her and was about to take aim, the vest vibrated against his chest and the gun made a sad sounding, descending whirr before the light flashed twice and went out. Alex turned and saw Theo, her gun still pointed at him and smiling triumphantly.

"I can't believe this..." Alex gasped as he slumped against the wall, "after every thing-"

"Sorry Mr. Hamilton," Theo grinned and dashed off.

Alex sighed as his gun powered up again, as he got up it powered down, he turned to see Eliza standing behind him.

"Hello dear," she greeted.

"Betsey how could you?" Alex gasped, clearly more hurt that he'd been taken out by his own wife then Theo.

"All is fair in love and war," Eliza helped him to his feet and gave him a kiss.

It was Lizzie who secured the win for the girls team by catching AJ in the back, with Angie's prompting of course. 

"Maybe you should have been paying attention instead of sucking face," Jamie said wryly when AJ complained about it. 

"Sucking face," giggled Lizzie.

"Yeah, yeah..." AJ's face turned bright red as he removed his vest and hung it on the peg.

After stopping for a light dinner, they all headed back to the hotel. By this point, William and Lizzie were quite tired out from the long and exciting day. The older Hamilton siblings wanted to go back down to the pool, so they all changed and headed outside. Jack and Jamie decided to tag along as well, grabbing a room key from Alex and Eliza on their way out the door. 

"You ready?" Philip asked AJ with a grin.

"Of course," AJ replied, "you seem to forget it was me who made annoying Angie an art form."

 

Angie was laying out her towel on one of the lounge chairs chatting with Theo and she never even saw them coming. One second she was on her feet and the next she was being carried. A small shriek escaped her. 

"Put me down!" she commanded, wriggling in her brothers' grasps.

"Nope, no can do Ange," AJ grinned.

"Put me down!" Angie shrieked as they carried her towards the pool where a light cloud of steam floated along the top in the cooling night air.

"1, 2, 3," Philip counted as he and AJ tossed Angie into the pool.

Philip and AJ leaned against each other, both howling with laughter as Angie sputtered back to the surface, her wet hair hanging in her face. Even Theo, floating on an inflatable raft nearby, couldn't hide the giggles that were escaping her. 

"Traitor," Angie complained, splashing Theo with her hand. 

"Hey, leave her out of this," said Philip. 

"Then come in here and fight me like a man!" Angie teased.

"Alright, I will," Philip nodded and leapt into the pool splashing Angie once again.

Soon enough, it had turned into an all-out Hamilton splash war. Jack was sitting on Philip's shoulders in the water, laughing as he flicked water at his siblings while AJ and Angie had settled into their own one on one battle.

 

Eli and Theo were more content to stay out of the way and watch.

"This is not going to end well," Theo sighed as she watched AJ splash Angie and she sputtered and coughed before retaliating.

"But that's half the fun," said Eli mildly. His eyes were most definitely more on AJ than anything else. Having heard about AJ's staring from Philip, Theo found this reciprocation more than adorable.

Angie made a valiant effort at trying to swim out of the splash zone, she was not successful.

Joint attacks from AJ and Jamie kept her almost pinned. At least, until she managed to whip her hair around, sending a sharp spray at both brothers at once.

"Woah!" Jamie went back.

"Christ Angie..." AJ gasped, "your hair is a deadly weapon!"

"I know," Angie smiled.

The brothers shared a glance. 

"Truce," they chorused.

"Fine," Angie sighed, "I guess you don't want to admit to losing to me."

"Never," agreed AJ with a grin.

"Well I did win, just in case you were wondering," Angie added.

"I'm not ashamed to admit that," Jack piped up.

"Because you're a good brother," Angie hugged her younger brother.

They barely noticed the time passing after that, all of the siblings enjoying spending some time together. Theo and Eli had taken to each other immediately, so they were happy to have their own conversation while the siblings bonded.

A little before ten the lifeguard came to tell them that the pool was closing, so they all slowly piled out of the pool.

In one final act of retaliation from their earlier splash war, Angie shook her head madly, spraying every single one of her companions with water.

The room was quiet, the darkness complete and comforting yet AJ couldn't sleep. The bed was quite large, but he was as close to the edge as possible. He hadn't done it on purpose, but after seeing the loving way that Philip and Theo acted around each other, he suddenly got struck with doubt about his relationship with Eli. Where were they going? How invested was Eli in this whole thing anyway?

AJ sighed as he pulled the comforter around him, everyone else was asleep, or at least so he thought. That meant that he was alone with his thoughts. Sure Eli was one of the only people he dated that he thought should meet his family but he had yet to meet Eli's. Was he more serious about this than Eli was?

"Hey," Eli murmured. His voice was low and rough from sleep, but it startled AJ and he twitched slightly, craning his head to look over his shoulder. 

Eli blinked slowly, blue eyes clouded, "What're you doing all the way over there? C'mere."

AJ turned over so that they were facing each other, but when he didn't move closer Eli seemed to wake more. 

"What's wrong, motek?"

"Nothing," AJ muttered quietly. 

"AJ..." Eli whispered, "come on, talk to me."

"Do you want to have sex?" AJ blurt out. 

"Well," Eli replied warily, "your brother and Theo are literally a few feet away..."

"Not right this second," AJ said, "I mean, I guess if you wanted to, it would be awkward but the bathroom has a lock..."

"We are not having sex for the first time in a hotel bathroom with your brother on the other side of the wall," said Eli firmly.

AJ raised his brows but he was relieved, "Okay."

"Motek, what's gotten into you?" Eli asked.

"I just," AJ paused and took a calming breath, "It's just that I love you and...and I know that sex isn't everything and I know that it's cliche, but I want my first time to be with someone special."

He flushed slightly and looked away. In all the months that they had been together, AJ had never once mentioned that he was still a virgin, but now it seemed his nerves had let the cat out of the bag.

Eli began to smile, "Okay, then it will be."

"I just need to know where we stand, you and me," said AJ softly, "because I'm in this for the long haul. You're...you're it, Eli. For me."

"Come here," murmured Eli. 

This time, AJ complied, sliding easily into Eli's embrace. 

"You're it for me too," he assured, tucking his chin on top of AJ's head.

The next morning AJ and Eli were a little slower to make it down to breakfast than Theo, Philip and Angie. They were simply taking their time enjoying each other's presence. 

AJ might have also been guilty of stealing extra kisses every time they tried to get out the door, which of course led to an even slower descent. After their conversation in the dark, he felt so much better about himself and their relationship. Even the sickeningly adorable way Philip and Theo were feeding each other bits of waffle couldn't get AJ's spirits down.

Although he could help but catch the gentle smile on his mother's face when she caught sight of them tangling their fingers together as they walked. He also had to give Angie credit for not being horribly annoying about the change.

It had started out innocently enough, it was their last night in Glenwood and Philip, Theo, AJ, Eli and Angie had decided to make it count. The plan was simple, they'd bought some snacks at a nearby convenience store, made a ton of popcorn and had decided to watch a movie.

It was AJ who first peeked into the minibar, but it was definitely Angie who encouraged him to take out the little, overly expensive bottles of liquor.

"Guys are you sure we should be doing this?" Theo asked looking at the shooter sized bottle of spiced rum.

"It'll be fine," said Angie, twisting the top off the bottle and taking a swig. 

"Geeze, Ang," laughed Philip, "calm down. Is there any Coke in there?"

"Wimp," Angie grinned.

"Ask and you shall receive," AJ pulled out a bottle of coke and brought it over.

"I'm not a wimp," Philip muttered as he fixed his drink.

"You kinda are," Angie teased and Philip frowned, " but I still love you." She put her head on his shoulder.

At that Philip couldn't help but smile brightly.

Soon enough, the five of them had polished off both bottles of spiced rum and had started in on the vodka as well. It wasn't really enough to get anybody drunk, especially split between them, but they were definitely tipsy. Some of them were more affected than others, as it appeared that Eli could hold his alcohol very well.

"Anyone else want me to mix something?" Eli asked.

"Me!" Angie called out flopping onto the bed.

"Alright what would you like?" Eli asked.

"Uhh..." Angie bit her lip,"surprise me!"

"No," AJ complained when Eli tried to untangle their limbs so that he could go to the mini bar, "Make Angie get her own drink."

"I appear to be trapped," said Eli, not unhappily, as AJ snuggled into him.

"Not fair," Angie pouted, "Pip?" she pulled at her older brother's jeans, "Will you get me something?"

"I'm not sure you need any more," Philip replied, but he was slightly distracted by the empty bowl in his hands, "Who ate all the popcorn?"

"You did," Theo and Angie chorused.

"Oh..." Philip placed the bowl on a bedside table, "well that sucks."

"Yeah it does," Angie replied laying her head on his chest, "Theo, I hope you don't mind that I'm stealing your boyfriend."

"By all means," laughed Theo, "As long as you give him back relatively unharmed."

"If you count cuddled to death as relatively unharmed," Angie replied.

Philip rolled his eyes but did nothing to stop Angie from glomming onto him, much like she used to when she was younger.

"You're so muscly now," Angie pouted, "I miss my soft cuddle brother."

"Hey, I worked hard for this," said Philip.

"Well I don't like it," Angie frowned, but that didn't stop her eyes from slowly drifting shut.

"Well too bad," said Philip. 

Angie mumbled as she made herself comfortable again.

"Hey AJ you should join us," Philip called out.

"Nah Eli and I are just fine," AJ replied.

"That wasn't a suggestion," said Angie, "Get over here, twerp."

"No," AJ shot back.

"AJ," Philip sighed, "stop trying to be a hard-ass. We know you better than that. Get the hell over here."

"But..." 

"Go," Eli shoved AJ off the bed.

AJ grumbled as he got off the ground, "Alright, I'm here, but no cuddling," he gave a sharp look to Angie in particular.

"We'll see how long that lasts," Angie grinned.

AJ climbed onto the other bed and sat cross-legged on the side of Philip that Angie wasn't currently draped all over.

"You are so not fun," Angie called out resting her chin on Philip's chest.

"I said no cuddling," AJ replied.

Philip reached up and hooked an arm around the back of AJ's neck and pulled him down. AJ let out an indignant squawk. 

"Non-negotiable," the elder Hamilton said, holding him down.

AJ made a sound akin to a growl. As Angie laughed, he decided it wasn't worth the effort to fight back at this moment.

"Theo, why don't we go watch a movie in the living room," Eli suggested after several long moments, "let the Hamilsibs have some time to themselves."

"That sounds lovely," replied Theo.

"But!" AJ called out to Eli to no avail.

"You can stand to be away from lover boy for a few minutes," said Angie, reaching across Philip to flick AJ's ear.

"Ouch!" AJ complained batting his older sister's hand away, "Few minutes? With you cuddling is so much more than a few minutes."

"Because it's nice," Angie replied contentedly.

AJ sighed and resigned himself to his fate. 

"I'm gonna miss your stupid face, you know," he said suddenly, "When you leave."

Angie bit her lower lip, as if to prevent herself from tearing up, "That's got to be the sweetest thing you've ever said to me..."

"Well it's true," AJ sighed, "I mean for a long time we didn't get along," he paused, "but I love you Ange."

"Hey, where's this coming from?" asked Angie, propping her chin up on Philip's shoulder. 

"I dunno," AJ said, "Things are just changing now, right? Philip and Theo are moving in together and you're leaving for Syracuse or whatever..."

"Rochester," Angie corrected.

AJ sighed, "The point is you're both leaving, like for real... No more summer or winter breaks at home, and you know Mom and Pops are making plans to move back to New York soon..."

"And there's Eli," Philip prompted. 

AJ flushed, "Yeah, that too. It's just a lot of stuff happening at once."

"Hey we've all gone through a lot worse and we made it out a alive," Angie smiled.

"Yeah, I've got the scars to prove it," Philip grimaced.

"That's not really the point," said AJ, "We're all adults now and it's weird."

"Yeah I guess it is," Angie sighed.

"Well we could always do what mom does," Philip suggested, "a sort of girls weekend-"

"Woah, no not necessary," AJ shook his head.

"I think I'm going to have to agree with AJ on that," Angie looked to Philip.

"Oh come on, a Hamilsib weekend would be epic," Philip protested. 

Angie snorted, "You are such a dork."

"Hey..." Philip gently nudged Angie.

"If it's any consolation I think you're both dorks," AJ grinned.

"Give him a noogie for me," Angie requested.

"Alright," Philip proceeded to give AJ a noogie worthy of leaving his hair askew.

"I hate that," AJ grumbled trying to brush his hair back into place he then sighed, "Aw hell..." he reached over Philip to bring Angie into a sort of group hug.

"Sap," Angie mumbled. 

"Shut up," AJ chuckled, "You love it."

"Yeah, I do," Angie sighed, very little made her as happy as a good hug and it coming from AJ it was that much more important.


End file.
